Hugh Jackman's Skin Cancer Scare: 14 Other Celebrities Who Have Battled The Disease

On Thursday, the incredibly handsome, talented, kind, and handsome Hugh Jackman revealed on Twitter that he recently had a cancer scare.

He said his wife Deborra-Lee Furness noticed an odd spot and pushed him to get it checked.

“Boy, was she right! I had [basal] cell carcinoma,” Hugh Jackman said. “Please don’t be foolish like me. Get yourself checked. And USE sunscreen!!!”

Use sunscreen indeed! Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States. Cancer.org states: “It accounts for nearly half of all cancers in the United States. More than 3.5 million cases of basal and squamous cell skin cancer are diagnosed in this country each year. Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer, will account for more than 76,600 cases of skin cancer in 2013.”

But if detected early, most cases can be treated. That is why it is so important to check yourself and your loved ones, and if you find anything suspicious, then head to to the doctor for a diagnosis.

Hugh Jackman is a brave and wise man for sharing his cancer scare. This will surely inspire his fans to check themselves out and load up on sunscreen. And Hugh Jackman is just one of many celebrities who have been open about their battle with skin cancer. Check out these 12 other celebrities who have had their own cancer scares right here:

Ryan O'Neal has had several cancer battles. He battled not only skin cancer, but two other types as well. "I'm not done and I'm not that beaten down but … I have three cancers at the moment on my face, in my prostate and I have chronic leukemia," he told Access Hollywood. "So I'm not so sure if I should get subscriptions to magazines for more than a year at a time."

John McCain 3 of 13

John McCain had surgery in 1993 to remove an instance of melanoma on his left arm. He also had two more surgeries in 2000 to remove melanoma on his face and again on his arm.

"I really spent my time trying to keep Cindy [his wife] and the kids calm about it," McCain told Newsweek when he was diagnosed. "I'm a little bit of a fatalist, given that my life has been full of narrow escapes. But I didn't want to let it show. My doctors told me we had to act as soon as possible. I was all for that."

William H. Macy 4 of 13

William H. Macy had surgery to remove a spot of cancer on his nose back in 2012. While appearing on Live! With Kelly, he had notable bandages on his nose. "I have many, many stories," he joked with her. "But the truth is I have a basal-cell (carcinoma) and I couldn't make any of the others work."

"I did bar fight, I did damsel in distress, and what I've come up with so far is, 'If you think I look bad, you should see the surgeon,'" he said. His cancer was caused by spending too much time in the sun and not using sunscreen. "I'm Scot/Irish heritage," said Macy, "and [that's what I get for] spending a misspent youth in Georgia with no sunscreen."

Michelle Monaghan 5 of 13

Actress Michelle Monaghan had a bout with skin cancer in 2011 but caught it early.

"A few years ago I had a mole on the back of my calf, and [my husband Peter White] was adamant that I get it checked," she recalls. "In Australia, they're very aware of skin cancer. I finally went and it was skin cancer. I had quite the chunk taken out of my leg. I'm so grateful he noticed it."

Ewan McGregor 6 of 13

Back in 2008, Ewan McGregor had a brief bout with skin cancer. He had a mole under his eye that had to be removed.

"You have to be careful if you're pale-skinned and spend any time in the sun," McGregor said. "I went to see a specialist who thought they were better to be removed, and indeed he was correct."

Brooke Shields 7 of 13

In 2009, the once sun-loving Brooke Shields had her own skin cancer scare.

"I had a spot on my face. The doctor scraped it, and it turned out to be precancerous," she told People magazine. "I was scared." She stopped tanning years ago, but said: "You think that because you're not in the sun anymore, it's all in the past. And then something like that crops up and you're made aware of how dangerous it really can be."

Troy Aikman 8 of 13

Football legend Troy Aikman was lucky that he spotted a new and suspicious mole on his shoulder. It turned out it was melanoma. "I wasn't that scared until Friday, when I got it all cut out," said Aikman after the operation, "because that showed the seriousness of it." He got it cut off and was totally fine.

"I'm more inclined to get melanoma because I'm fair-skinned and blue-eyed," Aiken noted. "The important thing is that if you check yourself regularly and catch it early, then it's not a problem. If you don't, it can cause some problems because it's one of the deadliest forms once it spreads."

Regis Philbin 9 of 13

The always busy Regis Philbin had an instance of skin cancer on his hand and face; they caught the cancer early and cut off the cancerous growths. The one on his hand was a sqaumous-cell cancer, and the instance on his face was more serious, but they caught it in time.

Cybill Shepherd 10 of 13

Cybill Shepherd had a cancer scare which the tabloid blew out of proportion. "She had a benign growth removed from her back seven months ago — that's all," her publicist stated.

"When Cybill was young, she went out in the sun a lot," her mom said. "We lived near a lake, and she used to bake in the sun on a dock, applying lots of suntan oil. Back then, we had no idea just how damaging the sun's rays could be, so we encouraged our kids to sunbathe."

Bill Clinton 11 of 13

President Bill Clinton had a cancerous lesion that was on his back. It was a case of basal cell skin cancer and was removed, and doctors declared him cancer-free after the procedure to remove it.

Anderson Cooper 12 of 13

In 2008, Anderson Cooper announced that he had a small instance of skin cancer.

"I had minor surgery on Monday," he said at the time. "A small spot of skin cancer was removed from under my left eye. I hadn't planned on mentioning this, but I still have stitches and you'll no doubt notice."

Bruce Jenner 13 of 13

This past September, Bruce Jenner had his own battle with skin cancer.

"I was diagnosed with a form of melanoma called basal cell carcinoma and have undergone Mohs surgery to remove it," Jenner tells E!. "I have been struggling with this for several years and appreciate all of the support and prayers while I continue to fight the battle against skin cancer."

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